The Rift Uprising

October 15, 2016

Ryn Whitaker appears to be a normal 17-year-old teenager--but she is also a member of a cybernetically enhanced group called Citadels, who help guard the 14 Rifts, which serve as openings to alternate Earths. The Citadels patrol and watch for any dangerous beings who slip through, such as the alien Karekins or old-world Vikings. Ryn understands that her conditioning and superhuman skills make her the ultimate soldier, but even soldiers are human. When Ezra, a young man, comes through the Rift, there's an instant connection with Ryn, in spite of her training. Ezra is different, extremely intelligent, and asks many questions about the Rifts and their origins. The negative response from Ryn's team and her commander raises doubts in Ryn, and she embarks on a search for answers that may lead to unexpected results. VERDICT High emotional stakes and an intriguing premise make this first entry in Foster's (When Autumn Leaves) new trilogy a solid next read for those who enjoyed Pierce Brown's Red Rising or Veronica Roth's "Divergent" series.--KC

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Superpowered teens guarding the gateway to the multiverse...what could go wrong?Ryn is a Citadel, one of a group of teenagers who were implanted with chips that gave them superpowers that make them the perfect soldiers to guard the Rift, a portal to millions of parallel Earths. All kinds of dangerous creatures come through the Rift, but Ryn is totally unprepared for the latest "Immigrant"--a really cute guy named Ezra who's just her type. Ryn's life is carefully controlled. It has to be--she's a soldier in a top-secret military organization pretending to be a high school student in a highly selective gifted program. She's constantly lying to maintain her cover story. She doesn't need disruption--but that's exactly what she gets, because pretty soon Ezra starts asking questions that reveal just how little she really knows about the organization that controls her life. Plus, there's the inconvenient fact that Ryn can't get too close to him without triggering the part of her programming that "turns you into a maniac if you touch anyone you might be remotely attracted to." The premise doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, and the various crises resolve themselves too quickly, but Foster (When Autumn Leaves, 2009) has set up an intriguing world, and the plot moves along so quickly that there's no time to quibble. This fun, fast-paced thriller will entertain readers looking for their next teens-save-the-world genre fix. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 15, 2016
Superpowered teens guarding the gateway to the multiverse...what could go wrong?Ryn is a Citadel, one of a group of teenagers who were implanted with chips that gave them superpowers that make them the perfect soldiers to guard the Rift, a portal to millions of parallel Earths. All kinds of dangerous creatures come through the Rift, but Ryn is totally unprepared for the latest "Immigrant"a really cute guy named Ezra whos just her type. Ryns life is carefully controlled. It has to beshes a soldier in a top-secret military organization pretending to be a high school student in a highly selective gifted program. Shes constantly lying to maintain her cover story. She doesnt need disruptionbut thats exactly what she gets, because pretty soon Ezra starts asking questions that reveal just how little she really knows about the organization that controls her life. Plus, theres the inconvenient fact that Ryn cant get too close to him without triggering the part of her programming that turns you into a maniac if you touch anyone you might be remotely attracted to. The premise doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, and the various crises resolve themselves too quickly, but Foster (When Autumn Leaves, 2009) has set up an intriguing world, and the plot moves along so quickly that theres no time to quibble. This fun, fast-paced thriller will entertain readers looking for their next teens-save-the-world genre fix.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2016
After humanity created portals to an infinite variety of other earths, authorities created the Allied Rift Coalition (ARC) to monitor these Rifts and subdue any entities that might arrive through them. Seventeen-year-old Ryn Whittaker was made into a supersoldier Citadel as a child without her knowledge or consent; now she leads one of the teams policing a Rift in the Pacific Northwest. Ryn doesn't often question the ARC or its motives until she meets Ezra, a genius boy who comes through this Rift and immediately sparks her interest. Though Ezra is held in an internment camp, he and Ryn conspire to learn more about the Rifts, the Citadels, and the ARC's plans for them. Songwriter and novelist Foster has created in Ryn a refreshingly atypical heroine who is accustomed to thinking and acting as a military commander before she considers her own emotional or physical needs. Ryn's self-discovery is at the core of this first book in the planned trilogy, which promises to cover new and interesting ground in the subsequent entries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)